Mattress structure and method of manufacture



Oct. 23, 1962 cs. s. FASANELLA 3,059,387

MATTRESS STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE m m m m 3 Sheets-Sheet l g flge'ffiwarzelh film /W Filed April 29, 1959 Oct. 23, 1962 G. s. FASANELLA 3,059,387

MATTRESS STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE a J h l p I INVENTOR. dfd

Oct. 23, 1962 G. s. FASANELLA 3,059,387

MATTRESS STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE I Filed April 29, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,059,387 MATTRESS EiTRUQTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE George S. Fasaneila, km'k Forest, ilk, assignor to 'lhe Englander Company, inc, Qhicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 809,811 7 (Ilaims. (Cl. 53-24) The present invention relates to the manufacture of high quality innerspring mattresses and more particular- 1y to the covering of such mattresses with ticking.

One object of the invention is to cover innerspring mattresses with ticking in a novel and improved manner which provides a decidedly superior covering of ticking for each mattress while at the same time sharply reducing the cost of covering the mattresses with ticking.

A further object is to cover an innerspring mattress with ticking in an improved manner which assures a neat, well-tailored appearance of the completed mattress.

Another object is to provide an innerspring mattress with a covering of ticking having a new and improved construction that greatly reduces the time and effort required to apply the covering to the mattress and which has an inherent reliability in service that obviates failure of the mattress due to imperfections in the stitching of parts connected by concealed stitching.

Another object is to provide a novel mattress covering of ticking adapted to be largely sewn together in a sewing room independently of the mattress to which it is ultimately applied and having a construction which assures an accurate alignment of the presewn parts of the covering to the end that the covering can be quickly and easily fitted to an innerspring mattress core or unit to produce a mattress having an exceptionally neat and Well tailored appearance.

A further object is to provide an improved method of covering an innerspring mattress with ticking which provides a tight, well-tailored fit of the mattress cover while at the same time greatly minimizing the sewing which must be performed on the mattress cover after it is applied to a mattress.

Another object is to provide an improved method of covering an innerspring mattress with ticking which materially reduces the skill required to perform the sewing necessary for completing the covering after it has been applied to a mattress.

Another object is to cover an innerspring mattress with ticking in a manner which enables a workman, having much less skill and training than that previously required in this art, to pull the covering tight around the mattress while sewing the covering together to obtain a Well-tailored fit of the mattress covering which has an exceptionally smart appearance. A related object is to cover an inne-rspring mattress in the manner recited above, which obviates any need for a workman to f rceably overcome the reaction of any substantial number of mattress springs in order to draw the mattress cover tight while sewing it around the mattress.

A further object is to cover a mattress core or innerspring unit with ticking in a manner which eliminates any necessity for connecting the mattress padding to the supporting springs by hog-rings or equivalent securing means even though the mattress is not tufted.

Other object and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

l is a perspective view showing a completed innerspring mattress constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the mattress cover as it is constructed and sewn together independent- 3,059,387 Patented Oct. 23., 1962 "ice ly of the mattress core, but with the border removed in this figure for clearness in illustration;

PEG. 3 is a perspective view of the improved mattress cover as it is supplied from a sewing room in readiness to receive an iunerspring unit or core;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is -a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3 and showing the thickness of the ticking and the construction at the corners of the cover on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 which is partially exploded to illustrate the relationship of parts along one edge of the covering;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view schematically illustrating the insertion of an innerspring core into a covering .of ticking constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating final sewing of the cover after it has been applied to a mattress core;

PEG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 99 of P16. 8 and showing the thickness of the ticking and the construction at the corners of the covering on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating tailoring of the corners of the mattress covering; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale illustrating the construction of a typical taped seam of the completed covering.

An understanding of this invention, which relates to an improved manner of covering a high quality, innerspring mattress with ticking, is aided by a brief reference to the prior art from which the invention sprang. 7

in general, two different methods have beenused previously to cover inner-spring mattress cores with ticking, depending upon the quality of the mattress to be produced. The least expensive method, which has been used in the manufacture of lower priced lines of mattresses, comprises the sewing of a peripheral border to two rectangular panels of ticking to form a rectangular presewn mattress covering or ticking which is open only at one end. in this method sewing of the covering is completed in a sewing room except for a Seam left open at one end of the covering to receive the mattress core.

This presewn covering is then placed on a machine which compresses an innerspring mattress core complete with padding and inserts it longitudinally into the coverng. The open seam through which the core is inserted 18 then sewn together to complete the covering.

While this method of covering a mattress with ticking greatly minimizes the sewing which must be performed on the covering after it has been applied to a mattress core, with consequent savings in the cost of manufacturmg a mattress, the covering provided in this manner suffers a number of serious shortcomings which makes it unsuitable for use on high quality mattresses.

Chief among these shortcomings is the characteristically poor fit of the covering upon the mattress. This poor fit, which is unacceptable in a high quality mattress from the standpoint of appearance and for other reasons, arises from a number of factors inherent in this method of .cov ering a mattress with ticking. For one thing, the in dividual mattress cores covered with padding in readiness for insertion into the presewn coverings differ somewhat in size from each other since such cores are not suscep tible of construction to precise dimensional tolerances. Yet conventional tick coverings presewn together in a sewing room must necessarily conform to only the general dimensions of mattress cores which do not take into account the Variations in size of individual cores. This necessarily makes for a poor fit of the mattress coverings.

Of equal or greater importance in this connection is the fact that mattress coverings presewn in accordance with the practice of the prior art can not be precisely shaped in the form of the mattress core to be covered. Thus, it is impossible as a practical matter to provide a precise alignment of the upper and lower rectangular panels of the covering which are connected together by the continuout border. This arises from a number of causes which include a certain dimensional instability of the materials used.

For example, the application of a greater amount of tension when sewing the border to one rectangular panel than when sewing the border to the other panel can result in a relative misalignment of the panels. Moreover, it is diflicult for the seamstress to make an accurate alignment of the panels with the border and with each other when sewing the border to the individual panels. Furthermore, any misalignment arising in the sewing of the border to any one edge of either panel is continued on around the covering to produce a relative misalignment of other sections or portions of the covering.

The poor fit obtained by covering a mattress with ticking in this manner cannot be corrected or compensated for in the final sewing of the covering after it is applied since this consists merely in closing the single open end of the covering, which afiords no opportunity to tailor or shape the individual mattress covering to improve its tit and appearance.

Because of the shortcomings of this method of covering a mattress it has been the practice to cover high quality innerspring mattresses with ticking which is sewn together while supported in place around the mattress core. This method, which is inherently more expensive to carry out, consists in placing a padded innerspring mattress core on a table and then sewing a peripheral border to 'both a top panel and a bottom panel of ticking. While the sewing is performed by a machine translated along the edge of the mattress it is nevertheless a difiicult and time consuming operation which can be performed only by highly skilled operators.

Alarge part of the difficulty arising stems from the fact that the covering must be drawn tight during the sewing operation in order to provide a proper fit. As a matter of fact, it is essential that the operator overcome the force of the springs in the mattress core in order to efi'ect the required tightening of the cover. This he must do While he manipulates the machine to sew and tape the edges of the cover. Moreover, the manual force and dexterity required to compress the mattress springs and draw the cover tight becomes progressively more difiicult as the sewing proceeds with the result that the final phases of the sewing operation become quite difiicult to accomplish.

The skill and time required to apply a mattress covering in this manner necessarily adds materially to the cost of the mattress. Moreover, the two panels are connected to the border =by blind stitching concealed by tape, which makes it ditficult to detect imperfect or improper stitching that may result in premature failure of the covering in use.

In accordance with this invention a high quality mattress is covered in a new and improved manner, which provides an improved tick covering on a mattress having a well-tailored, neat fit superior in appearance to previous high qualtity mattress coverings and which at the same time greatly simplifies and speeds up operation of applying the covering and also reduces the skill required to apply the covering as compared to that previously required to produce a high quality mattress covering.

The improved mattress covering designated by the numher 10 in the drawings has a novel construction adapted to be sewn together largely in a sewing room before being applied to a mattress core 12 and yet having a character such that the covering when completed on the core has an exceptionally neat, well-tailored fit which produces a completed mattress 14, FIG. 1, superior in appearance and durability.

The major portion of the construction of the improved covering 19 is carried out in a sewing room in which ticking is cut to form two rectangular covering panels 16, 18 of identical shape. These panels as such are similar to those used in conventional ticking covers and have rounded corners 29. A continuous border element 22 having a length and width sufiicient to encircle the mattress and connect the rectangular panels 16, i8 is provided. This border, as such, is of conventional construction and comprises, as shown in FIG. 6, a continuous strip of ticking 24 covered on its inner face by padding 26 which terminates inside of the longitudinal edges of the border ticking 24 and which is held to the ticking 2 by stitching 28, FIG. 1, conforming to a desired design. The construction of the border 22 itself is similar to that used in conventional high quality mattress coverings which are sewn around mattress cores as described.

In accordance with this invention the upper and lower panels 16 and 18 are connected together along two longitudinal sides and across one end by three auxiliary side panels or gussets 3t 32 and 34 formed of elongated strips or runs of ticking. The width of the gussets 39, 32 and 34 is approximately the same as that of the border 22. The length of the two longitudinal gussets 3t 32 and the length of the transverse or end gusset 34 are limited in relation to the length and width respectively of the panels l6, 18 so that opposite ends of the gussets terminate just short of the curved corners 20 of the panels 16, 18. This leaves the gusseted covering open at the end opposite the transverse gusset 34 and open at the corners between opposite ends of the transverse gusset 34 and the adjacent ends of the longitudinal gussets 3d, 32.

More particularly, the marginal peripheral edges of both the upper and lower covering panels 16, 18 are hemmed as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to provide additional strength. The upper marginal edges of the gussets 30, 32 and 34 are stitched or seamed to the contiguous marginal edge portions of the upper covering panels 16 as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The stitching 38 which joins the upper panel 16 with the gussets is rapidly performed in a sewing room at low cost since it is a simple seaming operation.

Also in the sewing room the lower marginal edges of the gussets 3t), 32 and 34 are stitched to the adjacent marginal edge portions of the panel 18 as shown in FIG. 5. However, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lower marginal edge of the gusset 32, for example, is interposed between the hemmed marginal edge of the lower panel 18 and the hemmed lower edge of the border 22. The adjacent marginal edges of the bottom panel 18 annd the border 22 together with the marginal edge of the gusset 32 sandwiched therebetween are covered by binding tape 49 and sewn together by stitching 42 which extends through the tape at all three marginal edges of the components embraced by the tape. The tape 40 is the same conventional tape used in this art.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the taped joining of the lower marginal edge of the border 22 with the lower panel 18 continues on around the rounded corners of the lower panel 13 beyond the ends of the gussets 3t 32 and 34. In this manner, the attachment of the border 22 to the bottom panel 18 is completed in the sewing room rapidly and at a nominal cost since the structural parts are not at that time applied to the mattress core and are not subjected to tension.

In this connection it should be noted that the joining of the upper and lower panels 16, 18 in the sewing room by means of the gussets provides for a precise alignment of the panels '16, 18 relative to each other. The alignment of each of the panels 16, 18 with each of the gussets 30, 32, and 34 is made independently on the alignment of each panel with the remaining gussets. Moreover, this alignment can be checked at the four corners of the covering at the ends of the respective gussets. Furthermore, any stretching or distortion of any one of the gussets in relation to its adjoining rectangular panel does not produce an error of alignment which is continued around the corner of the covering to effect the ali nment of other edges of the rectangular panels with the gussets and with each other.

The manufacturing cost involved in sewing the gussets to the top and bottom panels 16 and 18 and in taping and sewing the border 22 to the bottom panel 18 as described is nominal since this entire operation is carried out by relatively unskilled operators using high speed sewing machines in a sewing room.

This completes the covering ready for the reception of an innerspring mattress core 12, as shown in FIG. 3. A mattress core 12 is inserted longitudinally into the open end of the partially completed covering is by means of a conventional machine such as that used in covering relatively low quality mattresses in the manner described The construction of the machine requires no description here. Its function is demonstrated by the schematic illustration of the machine 44, FIG. 7, which illustrates the manner in which the machine compresses an innerspring mattress core 12 and moves it longitudinally into the presewn covering 10. Opposed structural parts 46 extend into the covering 10 through its open end to contain the core 12 in a compressed condition until it reaches the transverse gusset 34.

The longitudinally moving core 12 engages gusset 34 to pull the covering it} from surrounding relation to the compressing elements 4 5 into encasing relation to the core as it emerges from the machine 44.

The operation of inserting the mattress core 12 into the presewn covering it) is carried out rapidly by the machine 44 at only a nominal manufacturing cost.

The core 112 encased in the presewn covering 16 is placed on a finish sewing table 48, FIG. 9, which has a peripheral track 50 supporting a conventional sewing and taping head 52 translatable around the table.

To complete the covering ltl after insertion of the mattress core 12 it is necessary merely to tape and sew the upper marginal edge of the border 22 to the peripheral edge of the upper panel 15. This operation is quite easy and can be performed by a workman having considerably less skill than that required by prior methods of sewing ticking cases on mattress cores to form quality mattresses.

The relative ease in sewing together the border 22 and top panel 16 of the improved covering it} arises from the fact that the force of the many springs 54, FTGS. 7 i

and 9, in the core 12 which tend to expand the covering is contained by the panels 16 and 18 as connected together by the three gussets 3t), 32 and 34. Thus, with the force tending to separate the panels l6, l8 absorbed by tension in the gussets 3%, 32 and 34-, it is generally unnecessary for the operator of the sewing machine 52 to manually compress the springs while sewing the upper edge of the border 22 to the marginal edge of the upper panel. In general, the operator has merely to supply sufficient force to the border 22 to give it a straight neat appearance as it is sewn along its marginal edge.

Some additional manual force may be required to compress springs of the mattress core while the open end of the cover It) is being closed, but the degree of manual force required for this purpose is minimized by the fact that the force of the major portion of the springs 54 is contained by the gussets making it necessary to compress only a small portion of the springs immediately adjacent the open end of the covering.

The machine 52 covers the joined marginal edges of the upper panel 16, border 22, and the intervening gussets with tape 56, FIGS. 9 and 11, as it seams these edges together by stitching 58.

The fact that the gussets 30, 32 and 34 provide an accurate alignment of the panels 16, 18 with each other and contain the spring forces tending to separate the panels enables the operator in finishing the covering to work and tailor the border 22 and the top panel in relative to each other during finish sewing of the covering it) around its open end at the extreme ends of the gussets thus providing a superior appearance of the mattress. The quality of the sewing and tailoring performed at the corners of the covering 10 is quite critical as it has such an important effect on the appearance of the mattress.

In this manner, the improved covering 10 enables a relatively unskilled workman to provide a finished tailoring to the corners of the mattress covering which, is consistently neat and attractive in appearance.

It should be noted in relation to the drawings, particularly with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11, that the relative size of the components covered and connected by the tapes 4% and 56 and the stitching 42 and 58 are greatly exaggerated for the purpose of illustration. In practice the same seams covered by the tapes 40 and 56 which are identical to each other, form circular beads of rather small size in relation to the mattress structure.

It will be noted with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11 that the stitching 58 extending through the upper tape 56 is concealed as it passes through the marginal edges of the upper panel 16 and the border 22.

Blind stitching of this character, which is also used in the construct-ion of conventional mattress covers, is difficult to inspect to detect impefections and incompletely stitched portions of the structure. The improved construction and mode of application of the improved cover It) greatly reduces the liklihood of imperfections in the stitching 58 performed after the covering 10 is applied to a mattress core. Moreover, any imperfections which may occur in the stitching 58 are of no consequence as the previously mentioned stitching 38 between the top panel 16 and the gussets will maintain the structural integrity of the covering and eliminate failures which would occur in the absence of the gussets.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not necessarily ilmited to the specific form illustrated but includes variants and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the invetion as defined by the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. The method of covering an innerspring mattress core with ticking comprising providing a pair of opposed rectangular ticking panels, connecting corresponding longitudinal edges of the panels by a pair of longitudinal gussets sewn to the opposed longitudinal edges of the respective panels and having a Width providing just sufficient space between the panels for the reception of a somewhat compressed innerspring mattress core, connecting two corresponding end edges of said panels by a transverse gusset having a width equal to that of said longitudinal gussets, sewing to the peripheral edge of one of said panels one marginal edge of a mattress ticking border having a width a 'iproximately equal to that of the gussets, compressing an innerspring mattress core and inserting the core between said panels to be contained in a somewhat compressed condition by the panels and gussets, and sewing the other marginal edge of said border to the peripheral edge of the other panel to complete covering of the mattress core.

2. The method of covering an innerspr-ing mattress core with ticking, comprising, providing a pair of opposed rectangular ticking panels, providing three elongated gussets adapted to connect three corresponding edges of said panels, sewing three marginal side edges of one of said panels to said respective gussets along one longitudinal edge of the latter, sewing three corresponding marginal side edges of the other panel to said respective gussets along the other longitudinal edge of the latter, sewing to the peripheral edge of one of said panels one marginal edge of a mattress ticking border having a width approximately equal to that of the gussets, compressing an innerspring mattress core and inserting the core between said panels to be substantially contained by the panels and gussets in :a somewhat compressed condition and sewing the other marginal edge of said border to the peripheral edge of the other panel to complete covering of the mattress core.

3. The method of covering an innerspring mattress core with ticking, comprising, the formation of two rectangular ticking panels having rounded corners, providing two longitudinal side gussets and one transverse end gusset which are dimensioned lengthwise somewhat shorter than the length and width respectively of said rectangular panels, sewing opposite marginal edges of each longitudinal gusset to corresponding longitudinal edges of said rectangular panels and sewing opposite longitudinal edges of said transverse gusset to aligned end edges of said respective panels to connect said panels in spaced aligned relation to each other to receive an innerspring mattress core therebetween, providing a peripheral mattress cover border approximately equal in width to said gussets, sewing one marginal edge of said border to the peripheral marginal edge of one of said panels, compressing an innerspring mattress core and inserting the core endwise to the space between the said panels from the end thereof opposite said transverse gusset, and sewing the other marginal edge of said border to the peripheral edge of the other panel to complete covering of the mattress core.

4. The method of covering an innerspring mattress core with ticking, comprising the formation of two rectangular ticking panels, providing two longitudinal side gussets and one transverse end gusset, aligning and sewing opposite longitudinal edges of said respective panels with marginal edges of said longitudinal gussets to connect the latter between said panels, sewing opposite longitudinal edges of said transverse gusset to aligned end edges of said respective panels to connect said transverse gusset between said panels, providing a peripheral mattress cover border approximately equal in width to said gussets, sewing one marginal edge of said border to the peripheral marginal edge of one of said panels, inserting an innerspring mattress core between the said panels and sewing the other marginal edge of said border to the peripheral edge of the other panel.

5. The method of producing a covered mattress comprising, providing first and second rectangular mattress cover panels, interconnecting two longitudinal edges of the first panel with the two corresponding longitudinal edges of the second panel by means of gussets, providing a peripheral mattress cover border, connecting one linear edge of the border to the peripheral edge of the first panel, providing a mattress core, inserting the core between the panels to be covered on opposite sides by the panels, and connecting the other linear edge of the border to the peripheral edge of the second panel to complete covering of the mattress core.

6. The method of producing a covered mattress comprising, providing a pair of opposed rectangular mattress cover panels each having two longitudinal side edges and two transverse end edges, connecting two longitudinal edges of one of said panels to the corresponding longitudinal edges of the other of said panels by means of gussets, providing a peripheral mattress cover border, sewing said border to only four of said panel edges so that the border substantially throughout the length thereof has one linear edge thereof free and one linear edge sewn to an adjacent panel edge, providing a mattress core, inserting said mattress core between said panels; and sewing each of the four panel edges, previously unsewed to said border, to the adjacent free edge of the border to complete covering of the mattress core.

7. The method of producing a covered mattress comprising, providing a pair of rectangular mattress cover panels each having two longitudinal side edges and two transverse end edges, providing two longitudinal gnissets, securing said gussets to the respective longitudinal edges of each of said respective panels to connect said panels together, providing a peripheral mattress cover border, securing all four edges of one of said panels to one linear edge of said border and leaving the other linear edge of said border free, providing a mattress core, inserting the mattress core between the panels to be covered on opposite sides by the panels, and securing said free linear edge of the border to all four edges of the other panel to complete covering of the mattress core.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,710,979 Herbener Apr. 30, 1929 1,879,171 Gail Sept. 27, 1932 2,192,234 Marsack Mar. 5, 1940 2,193,410 Schubert Mar. 12, 1940 2,363,637 Bows et al Nov. 28, 1944 2,425,301 Browner Aug. 12, 1947 2,826,769 Drews Mar. 18, 1958 

